Penguins Projected Lines, Pairings For Preseason Opener Vs. Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins are back on the ice Saturday night for real game action.

After announcing the first six cuts of training camp, Pittsburgh is ready to see what some young up-and-comers and bubble players have in the tank when the preseason kicks off against the Buffalo Sabres.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has already announced that Joel Blomqvist will start and play the entire game between the pipes against Buffalo. He’s coming off a strong season in the AHL, recording a .921 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average in 45 games. This game will also be the first chance for fans to see Rutger McGroarty, who was acquired in the offseason for Brayden Yager in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets. He’ll play on the first line with Drew O’Connor and Cody Glass.

Here’s a look at the full projected lines and defensive pairings for the Penguins on Saturday, per TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh.

Rutger McGroarty — Drew O’Connor — Cody Glass
Jesse Puljujarvi — Tristan Broz — Valtteri Puustinen
Ville Koivunen — Vasily Ponomarev — Emil Bemstrom
Tanner Howe — Jimmy Huntington — Avery Hayes

Ryan Graves — Mac Hollowell
Harrison Brunicke — John Ludvig
Ryan Shea — Nathan Clurman

Joel Blomqvist

The puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST in Buffalo as the Penguins prepare for game-action against the Sabres.

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